The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s 2012 novel about the fictional English town of Pagford. The story begins when parish councillor Barry Fairbrother dies suddenly, leaving a vacant seat and triggering a bitter local election.
Unlike the Harry Potter books, the novel is written for adults and focuses on class, poverty, addiction, politics, family conflict, and social divisions. Its title refers to the official vacancy created by Fairbrother’s death, but the election exposes tensions that already exist throughout the community.
The book was Rowling’s first published novel after the Harry Potter series ended. It was released by Little, Brown and Company in the United Kingdom and the United States. A BBC television adaptation was broadcast in 2015, with Michael Gambon and Rory Kinnear among its cast.